Tyarn Thompson Sentenced in Naylor Road Shooting

A man opened fire in broad daylight outside a carry-out restaurant in Southeast Washington, sending bullets ripping through the air as his victim scrambled to escape. Tyarn Thompson, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for the May 2016 attack on Naylor Road SE — a brazen act of violence rooted in a personal grudge.

Thompson pleaded guilty in September 2016 to one count of assault with intent to kill, admitting he confronted the victim over a fight involving the man’s girlfriend. The plea, accepted today by the Honorable Florence Pan in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, carried a binding recommendation of four to six years behind bars. Pan imposed the full six-year sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court evidence, at 11:40 a.m. on May 12, 2016, Thompson approached the victim as he exited the restaurant in the 2900 block of Naylor Road SE. Without warning, Thompson pulled a gun and opened fire. The victim turned and ran, but stumbled and fell — prompting Thompson to fire additional shots. One bullet grazed the man’s sweatshirt. Thompson fled before police arrived.

Metropolitan Police Department investigators moved fast. An arrest warrant was issued the next day, on May 13, 2016. Thompson was taken into custody on June 6, 2016, and has remained behind bars since. As part of his plea, Thompson admitted not only to firing the shots but also to calling a witness the day before the shooting, stating he intended to kill the victim.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, who announced the sentence, praised the MPD detectives who cracked the case. He also highlighted key personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s Office: Victim/Witness Advocates Elsa Maltese and Lu Lan, Supervisor Security Specialist Michael Hailey, and Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones. Their work ensured justice was served, he said.

The lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sumit Mallick, investigated and prosecuted the case from start to finish. The sentence sends a message, officials said: violent retaliation will be met with swift consequences. Thompson now begins his six-year federal prison term, with no room for early missteps upon release.